Downsview Restaurant

I grew up in the area, is it original restaurant with booths and juke boxes at tables? Always had the best fries and gravy. It was my hangout.

Loved in the area for 4 years. Love their French fries and disagree with the person below. These fries are the best even if they are large chucks of patoto.. isn't that what fries are made of lol

This place is bom...

This place is bomb. Everything is amazing.

Can't add much to what the others have said. I...

Can't add much to what the others have said. I stumbled on this place a few weeks ago and despite the distinctly 'been here for a century and looks like it' appearance of the outside I went in anyway in search of a quick breakfast. I always ask for my meals 'to go' just in case my boss beeps and I have to hit the road, this request was accommodated without any fuss. Just yer standard brekkie with the usual choice of sausage, eggs, or ham, done as you ask. The only thing I would change are the home fries, in some places they alone can be worth the meal, here they are just large chunks of crispy potato. I went again today, and will return in the future. And I will second pinetree's comment about the Toronto Aerospace Museum, but keep in mind that it's closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. After you see the exhibits ask to say hello to the Muffin Lady, she's my mum!

I had the pleasure to have lived in the building...

I had the pleasure to have lived in the building right across the street from Downsview Restaurant...I went to school right down the street also. This is the best restaurant in Toronto. I have been away from Toronto for about 11 years...in between those times during my visits back to Toronto...I make it a duty to visit the Downsview ... it's almost surreal because the restaurant looks as I remembered when I was was 5 years old...I'm 30 now...the same cook, the same waitresses, the same seats...I love it, I hope it never changes...because I can't wait to eat there again.

I was intrigued by the fantastic reputation that...

I was intrigued by the fantastic reputation that this quaint little establishment carries, particularly regarding their desserts. The decor is a marvellously appointed "1971 retro", right down to the yellowed walls and ceiling from the days when smoking was permitted in restaurants. The jukeboxes were an interesting touch, however the most recent hit I could find was "Hotel California". The service was very good - the waitress (Georgina) was resplendent in her uniform of a white smock, white hose, and white sneakers. She quickly arrived to take our orders, a difficult task considering she was in the midst of ejecting a couple of unruly patrons, one for "trying to bend spoons with his mind", and, failing that, bending them with his hands instead. The other, asking Georgina to run through the pie selection, then, when asked to order, replied, "I don't really want any pie, I just wanted to hear you say them all..." THAT brings us to the pies! Oh, what a rich selection of democratic decadence. Your choice of Apple, Blueberry, Lemon Meringue, and Coconut Cream. Ahhhh! All purchased with care from local grocery stores that morning, or perhaps a previous morning that week, or the week before. Perhaps even two weeks before....well, it doesn't matter anyway. And lastly, no trip to the Downsview would be complete without a take-out container of what locals call "black gold"....the rich, highly simmered gravy sitting in a tomato juice tin on a burner at the back of the restaurant. Rich, but subtle, with hints of tarragon and work shoes, and a hard crust much prized by starving High school students, a dollop of this gravy is sure to be the cap of a wonderful meal at this much treasured restaurant!